Stress at Work
Often employment lawyers get called upon to advise on stress in the workplace. Whether it is a staff member signed off with work related stress and a query as to when the performance disciplinary meeting can take place – yes! Or informal discussions about performance and staff members indicating that they are struggling with stress and raising contemporaneous grievances and looking to see who is there to help. In other cases, we become involved in capability processes and occupational health reports are required to consider impact and assistance work can offer to support staff.
A question increasingly asked, is : how can stress best be handled at work, our stress policies helpful, what can work do to be a nurturing employer.
The honest truth is that there is no, one size fits all, answer. Often, it is vital that HR or senior management take the time to understand the source of the problem at hand and see if there is a workable solution/ processes that can be added to reduce the impact on staff members.
Communication with staff is critical. To minimise stress, staff want to understand what deadlines are, who is working on what project, who is ultimately responsible for tasks and who to speak to if such deadlines are unachievable. It is important that there is a clear structure for when things get too much, raising a grievance should be a last resort for staff.
Mental health awareness is very much the buzz word of the day, but pressure and work environments are not new. That said, staff are expecting a greater understanding and increasing support from work and it is no doubt a trend that Tribunal judges will also demand.
Posted on 04/04/2023 by Ortolan
